Plunger for vehicle lifts



Patented Aug. 15, 1933 Umm *STATES PLUNGER FOB" VEHICLE I LIFTS v Louis C. Stukenborg, Memphis, Tenn.

Refiled for abandoned application Serial No. 459386, filed June 9; 1930.: This application October 5, 1932. Serial No. 636,293

a pair of rails which engage'theaxles, ot wheels' as the case may be, of an automobile for the purpose of raising them for servicing. The cylinder, is vertically disposed in' a hole in the groundwith' its upper end substantially flush with the surface and its lowerjend inaccessible. It fol1ows there-` fore, that to obtain access to the lower'part'of the cylinder for cleaning. or to thelower end of the plunger that the plungermust be ,entirely re- 0 moved from .the cylinder, which"`necessari1y c means removing the head and rails carri'ed thereby as well as the plunger.` r F such structures are necessarily addition are of -`awkward shape` for handling.

Also there are few devices', suitable for the pur pose,` available at the plants where these lifts are installed, so that removal 'of the plunger and structure carried thereby isan extremely difli cult proposition. In an endeavor tominimize this troublethe plunger head has been made detachable so that the head and rails carriedthereby may first be removed and thereafter the plunger be removed. Even when this is done it it still extremely difficult to remove 'the plunger, yet it is absolutely necessary that access be had to the bottom of the cylinder ;and/or to theplunger parts for cleaning and other purposes.

- Theobjects of the' present invention arez To so improve .the plunger construction that all' the associated parts including the lower head thereof may be removed without 'removing the plunger proper from the cylinder or without removing the head and rails carried'thereby and to the bottom of the thereby to provide' access i cyli'nden The means by .which the foregin'g and other objects are'` accomplished and the manner of their .accomplishment will readily be understood I from the following specification on referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which-` Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation taken as on 'the center line of a typical vehicle lift jack showing the construction of the plunger together with the parts associated therewith;

heavy and ili' Fig; 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the lower end of the plunger; and v i i Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken as on the line III--III of Fig. 2.

Referri`ng now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, 10 is a vertical cylinderhaving its upper end substantially flush with the surface 11 of the ground and 12 is a stufiing box' flange defining the upper end of this cylinder.- The lower end of the cylinder is closed by 'a' head 13 ordinarily integral therewith.

In* the present form of the device the plunger comprises a hollow cylinder -14, entirely open at its'` upper'end and having an interier annular flange 15, at or 'adjacent its lower end; forming a partial closure only. At the upper end an exterior annular flange 16, surrounds the plunger and forms a'seat on which a head 17 forming part of the lift table, is supported. This head may be Secured tcthe fiange 16 as by bolts 18 or it may be, and preferably is, welded thereto. A circular opening 19 preferably identical in bore with the interior diameter of the plunger is provided through the head. Secured to the head are rails 20 which are used to engage 'with the understructure of an automobila to raise the same. Completing this head is a removable cover plate 21.-

' Thelower head of the plunger is completed by an annular fiange 22 which extends outward from a pump assembly 23; The fiange 22 rests on the upper surface of the flange 15, a gasket 24 being disposed therebetween if it be so desired. studs 25 screwed into the annular flange 15 extend up ward, to a pointadjacent the top of the plunger, passing' through bolt 'holes in the fiange 22. 90 Disposed on these studs are elongated sleeves 26 which extend upwardadjacent the top of the studsvand are Secured thereon by nuts 27'. The nuts^27 clamp the sleeves 26 against the upper surfaceof the flange' 22 and secure that fiange to the flange 15 to effect a closure and complete the deslred structure. The studs 25 serve not only to bring the nuts 27 into accessible position adj ac'ent the upper end of the plunger but also act as guides for directing 'the flange 22 into its proper place 100 on the flange 15. v i i The flange 22 also carries the intake pipe 28 and strainer 29, and a release valve 30 the detail of which not being pertinent to this case need not here be disclosed. 31 is the pump shaft 'which 105 extends upward from thepump 23 and is coni nected by a slip coupling 32 with the shaft of a motor 33. 34 isa plate forming part of this motor, which plate is supported by the head 17 n To disassemble, the plate 21 is removed, bolts 35 loosened and the motor likewise removed, leaving the nuts 27 accessible from above. These nuts are unscrewed, the sleeves 26 taken off, and the pump, carrying with it the flange 22 and the associated parts mounted thereon, is lifted bodily out of the plunger, the pump shaft providing a convenient means for accomplishing this. The pump thus removed is thus accessible for cleaning and repairs, and access is had to the lower part of the jack cylinder. It will be seen that in order to remove this pump it is not necessary to remove the oil from the plunger.

After the pump has been overhauled, when it is again replaced, the studs 25 serve as guides to direct the fiange 22 into proper position and maintain the bolt holes thereof in proper alignment. After it is so replaced, the sleeves 26 are dropped into place and the nuts 2'7 replaced and screwed down. The motor 33 maythen be replaced, and fastened down, the cover plate 21 be put on, and the device is again ready for use.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A hydraulic jack including a hollow cylinder and a plunger unit disposed in said cylinder, said unit including an elongated hollow cylinder open at both ends and having an integral, internal, annular flange adjacent an end thereof, a closure member including a pump assembly insertable from the opposite end of said cylinder, means, secured to and extending from said annular fiange, terminating adjacent and accessible to the opposite end of the cylinder, co-operable with said closure member for guiding said closure member into place against said fiange, whereby said member may be engaged with the accessible portion of the guiding means and be thereafter guided to seating position, and means co-operating with said guidplace.

2. A hydraulic jack including a hollow cylinder and a plunger unit disposed in said cylinder, said unit including an elongated hollow cylinder open at both ends and having an interior closure-part adjacent an end thereof, a closure member insertable from the opposite end of said cylinder, means, secured to and extending from said closure-part, terminating adjacent and accessible to the opposite end of the cylinder, co-operable with said closure member for guiding said closure member into place against said closure-part, whereby said member may be engaged with the accessible portion of the guiding means and be thereafter guided to seating position, and means co-operating with said guiding means for securing said closure member in place.

3. A hydraulic jack including a hollow cylinder, and a plunger therein, said plunger including an elongated hollow cylinder open at both ends, having an internal closure-part adjacent one end thereof, a complementary closure element for completing the closure of said end, and means for positioning and securing said closure element, comprising studs within said elongated cylinder, Secured to and extending from the closure-part and terminating adjacent and accessible to the opposite end of said cylinder, said closure element having holes therethrough engageable with said studs whereby said element may be engaged with the accessible ends of said studs and `be guided to place by said studs, nuts engageable on said accessible ends of said studs, and sleeves interposable between said closure element and said nuts.

4. In a hydraulic jack, a plunger comprising a' hollow cylinder, open at both ends, an internal annular flange adjacent one end thereof and forming a partial closure thereor, a plurality of studs secured in and extending from said fiange, and terminating adjacent and accessible to the opposite-end of said cylinder, a closure member adapted to pass within said cylinder and seat against said fiange, said closure member having holes therethrough conforming to said stud spacing, whereby said closure member may be engaged with the accessible ends of said studs and be guided to place thereby, said studs acting as guiding means to said flange from the opposite end, sleeves placeable one on each of said studs and extending from said closure member, adjacent the free ends of said studs, and nuts, one on each of said studs clamping, through said sleeves, said closure against said flange.

5. In a hydraulic jack, a plunger including a hollow cylinder having an internal closure-part adjacent one end thereof and forming a partial closure therefor, a plurality of studs Secured to and extending from said closure-part, terminating adjacent and accessible'to the opposite end of said plunger, a closure member adapted to pass within said cylinder and seat against said closurepart, said closure member having holes therethrough conforming to said stud spacing, whereby said closure member may be engaged with the accessible ends of said studs and be guided to place thereby, said studs acting as guiding means from the top to bottom of said plunger, sleeves placeable one on each of said studs and extending from said closure'member, adjacent the free ends of said studs, and nuts, one on each of said studs clamping, through said sleeves, said .closure member against said closure-part.

6. In a plunger for a hydraulic jack, an elongated hollow cylinder open at both ends and having an internal, annular fiange'adjac'ent an end thereof, a closure member insertable from the opposite end of said cylinder, means Secured to and extending from said annular fiange andter- 'guiding means and be thereafter guided to seating position, and means co-operating with said guid- 'ing means for securing said closure member in place.`

7. In an hydraulic jack, a plunger comprising an elongated hollow cylinder open at both ends andhaving an interior closure-part adjacent an end thereof, a closure member insertable from the opposite end of said cylinder, means extending from said closure-part, terminating adjacent and accessible to the opposite end of the cylinder, co-operable with said closure member for guiding said closure member into place, whereby said member may be engaged with the accessible portion of the guiding means and be thereafter guided to seating position, and means co-operating with said guiding means for securing said closure member in place.

LOUIS C. ST'UKENBORG. 

